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EMPOWERMENT AVENUE
Using art, writing, journalism & film
Using
art,
writing
& journalism
-pre-entry-
to empower
people
in prisons
-pre-entry- to empower people in prison
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Op-Ed: In prison, the work of journalism is challenging but
essential
My Pen Uncovers the Real Me
AS COVID-19 RAGED, INCARCERATED JOURNALISTS FOUGHT ISOLATION AND
ILLNESS TO EXPOSE ABUSIVE CONDITIONS
HOW PRISON WRITERS
STRUGGLE TO BE HEARD
Community Artwork
Empowerment Avenue artists are providing images royalty free for your personal use. We invite you to participate in the empowerment of incarcerated people by bringing their voices into the public. Carry their work. Raise their voices.
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Using Art, Writing, Journalism, and Film
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turning
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Our mission is to normalize the inclusion of incarcerated writers and artists in mainstream venues by bridging the gap between them and harnessing this creative proximity as a path to de-carceration and public safety.

To achieve our mission we have a twofold strategy. We support the most talented writers and artists in prisons across the country, providing them the resources they need to get their creative work outside prison walls, be fairly compensated, and contribute their creativity to the movements of abolition, de-carceration, and liberation of incarcerated people. Secondly, we support capacity building for publications, galleries, museums and other organizations committed to this work, to help them meaningfully center currently-incarcerated people in creative spaces while fairly compensating them.

OUR MISSION

Our mission is to normalize the inclusion of incarcerated writers and artists in mainstream venues by bridging the gap between them and harnessing this creative proximity as a path to de-carceration and public safety.

To achieve our mission we have a twofold strategy. We support the most talented writers and artists in prisons across the country, providing them the resources they need to get their creative work outside prison walls, be fairly compensated, and contribute their creativity to the movements of abolition, de-carceration, and liberation of incarcerated people.

Secondly, we support capacity building for publications, galleries, museums and other organizations committed to this work, to help them meaningfully center currently-incarcerated people in creative spaces while fairly compensating them.

Artwork Detail: 2042, Lamavis Comundoiwilla, 2020

OUR GOALS

01
‍
Get the voices of incarcerated people past the choir and into mainstream venues to build more public support for ending the Prison Industrial Complex.
02
Help incarcerated people access paid opportunities in the creative economy, build creative and professional relationships, gain relevant knowledge and skills, and collaborate with communities beyond bars.
03
Support outside institutions and individuals in hiring incarcerated individuals to do creative work, especially in fields and projects related to mass incarceration.
04
Support work (like investigative journalism or socially-justice centered art) in order to hold systems accountable.
05
Prepare writers and artists “pre-entry” by supporting their professional goals while still incarcerated.
06
Provide grants for incarcerated creatives to curate events and spearhead initiatives and programming inside their prisons.
07
Break cycles of poverty and intergenerational incarceration.

OUR GOALS

01
‍
Get the voices of incarcerated people past the choir and into mainstream venues to build more public support for ending the Prison Industrial Complex.
02
‍
Get the voices of incarcerated people past the choir and into mainstream venues to build more public support for ending the Prison Industrial Complex.

Current Events

CURRENT EVENTS

PAINTING OURSELVES INTO SOCIETY

SEPTEMBER 21ST, 2024 — JANUARY 12TH, 2025

‍CURATED BY ORLANDO SMITH & RAHSAAN THOMAS

‍Empowerment Avenue and Berkeley Art Center co-present Painting Ourselves into Society. This exhibition is co-curated by Orlando Smith aka “O. Smith” from inside San Quentin Prison and Rahsaan “New York” Thomas, who has returned to society after 22 years inside. It features the works of eight currently and formerly incarcerated artists nationwide exploring what it means for incarcerated people to stay connected to the larger community and to challenge the idea of what healing looks like together.

ARTISTS ON VIEW
Alvin Smith
Cedar Annenkovna
Corey Devon Arthur
De’jon Joy
Jared Owens
Jessie Milo
Joanna Nixon
Mark A Cádiz
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Alvin Smith, Outside The Rusting Decay Of Confinement, 2024

Upcoming Events

PRESS
KALW Interview with Rahsaan Thomas
‍
We are thrilled to share that our very own Rahsaan Thomas was recently featured on KALW’s “State of Bay.” In this insightful interview, Rahsaan discusses his inspiring journey and the impactful art created by the incarcerated community. Tune in to hear his powerful story and learn more about our mission to empower artists behind bars.
Listen to the full interview here

CURRENT EVENTS

The Only Door I Can Open

Presented by Empowerment Avenue & YBCA
CURATED BY Tomiekia Johnson and Chantell-Jeannette Black

Curated from within prison, The Only Door I Can Open: Women Exposing Prison through Art explores truths about women and incarceration. For this immersive multimedia exhibition, co-curators Tomiekia Johnson and Chantell-Jeannette Black asked eight currently and formerly incarcerated artists to reflect on their relationship to their bed. For some it’s a place of safety and privacy, for others isolation and angst. Spanning murals, paintings, audio narratives, and an immersive prison room installation, the artworks and stories are varied—no two alike.
Join Us
‍Step inside these profoundly moving pieces and explore unique perspectives on women in prison, privacy, and creative expression.
Tickets are available now
Dashboard mockup

Upcoming Events

Lead image: artwork by Anna Ruiz, Institution #2, 2024. Courtesy the artist. The Only Door I Can Open logo designed by Paul T. Plale.
UPCOMING PROGRAMS
Family Art Activity
Join MoAD, YBCA and Empowerment Avenue for community programming presented in conjunction with the exhibition The Only Door I Can Open: Women Exposing Prison through Art, featuring poetry readings, a DJ, and an art activity inspired by the exhibition.
In Solidarity: Our Words Scale Walls
A live poetry reading inside the exhibition gallery space at YBCA featuring a live mix with DJ Sandina, "La Positiva." This event brings together poets from both inside and outside the prison for an afternoon of poetry and radical expression.

Featuring five women poets—Ladi Rev, Briana Victoria Leung, Angelique Estella, and co-curators of The Only Door I Can Open: Women Exposing Prison Through Art, Tomiekia Johnson and Chantell-Jeannette Black. Tomiekia and Chantell-Jeannette will call in from the Central California Women's Facility at Chowchilla, sharing new works that reflect on surveillance, exposure, and the pressures of prison life. Poets performing in person will respond to the exhibition and the prison room installation with original pieces, forming a collective act of solidarity.

This is a live, in-gallery experience—don’t miss this powerful moment of community building and resistance.

Where: YBCA 701 Mission Street, SF CA
When: April 12, 2-4 PM
PRESS
Making Contact with Lucy Kang | Art from the Inside: Why We Need More Art By And About Incarcerated Women
Discover how art highlights the struggles of incarcerated women and builds solidarity across prison walls. This episode features the dance performance If I Give You My Sorrows and the art exhibition The Only Door I Can Open, created by artists inside Central California Women’s Facility.

Tune in to hear from Jo Kreiter, Betty McKay, Tomiekia Johnson, Chantell-Jeannette Black, and Rahsaan Thomas as they share stories of resilience and creativity.
Listen to the full podcast episode here
CBS News Bay Area KPIX with Loureen Ayyoub | Former San Quentin inmate fights for financial freedom for the incarcerated
In this interview, Rahsaan Thomas, formerly incarcerated writer and Executive Director of Empowerment Avenue shares how art, advocacy, and financial opportunity can break the cycle of incarceration.
Watch full video here

UPCOMING EVENTS

Painting Ourselves into Society Returns

Presented by Empowerment Avenue & Manna Gallery
Curated by O. Smith, an artist working from inside San Quentin, and Rahsaan "New York" Thomas, Executive Director of Empowerment Avenue. After an incredible run at the Berkeley Art Center, Painting Ourselves into Society is back—this time at Manna Gallery in Oakland! We are excited to bring back some of the original artworks while introducing powerful new pieces from Orlando "O. Smith" Smith and Jessie Milo, currently housed at San Quentin State Prison.

Where: Manna Gallery, Oakland, CA
Exhibition Dates: March 1 - April 12, 2025
Open First Fridays: March 7 & April 4, 5-8 PM
Gallery Hours: Saturdays, 12-5 PM & First Fridays, 5-8 PM

This exhibition actively challenges the idea that incarcerated individuals are separate from our communities.The featured artists explore the question: What does it mean to paint ourselves into society? How do we show that we are still part of the community?
Join us, experience the art, and be part of the conversation.
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Artwork: O. Smith, Scope of Time, 2024
Upcoming Program
Artist Talk
Join us for one final First Friday at Manna Gallery. This special evening will feature an artist talk with co-curator Orlando "O. Smith" Smith, calling in from San Quentin.

Where: Manna Gallery, Oakland, CA
When: Last First Fridays: April 4, 5-8 PM | Artist Talk: 6:30-7 PM

Our Community

Empowerment Avenue Artist Orlando "O Smith" Smith, San Quentin State Prison. Photo by Peter Merts.
Empowerment Avenue Artist Mark "Stan-Bey" Stanley-Bey , San Quentin State Prison. Photo by Peter Merts.

Community
Artwork

Community Artworks are tools for solidarity and resistance. Featuring art from Empowerment Avenue artists currently incarcerated, they bring their voices to the streets and into the fight for justice. Carry their work and raise their voice.
Download artworks here
Protest Poster, Make Love Not War. Corey Arthur

To stay up to date with our latest projects and see the incredible work we support from writers and artists inside prisons:

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Empowerment Avenue is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. EIN: 93-2876513. Contributions are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.